Boy Next Door
by LittleChances
Summary: Steve and Natasha were neighbors and best friends growing up. Natasha had a crush on him that he never knew about and that she never acted on. With Steve back from serving his country for the time being, Natasha may get the courage to at least tell him of her little crush, whether it still exists or not.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! So I still have a few plot bunnies running around and because of the amazing support that I get from all of you guys I will get them out eventually when they begin to take shape. I just want to let you guys know that you are all amazing and the feedback really does push me to do more. Anyways I had this small idea in my head and thought I would test it out. If you guys like it, then I will continue it. Just let me know. I will warn you that this is an AU. There are no super powers and some of the characters may have different backstories so I'm sorry if they seem a little OOC at times. Also this may contain some characters from _Agents of SHIELD_. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Marvel or the Marvel Cinematic Universe.**

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Natasha Romanoff was sitting on the couch of her parents' house after a long day of classes. Well technically it was her adopted parents' house. She had become an orphan after witnessing the death of her parents at the age of 5. She was then kidnapped by her parents' murderers and it had taken about a year until she was found. It wasn't long before she was adopted and moving her things from Russia to the United States. Washington DC to be exact.

Her transition wasn't easy considering that her kidnappers were basically monsters. They were harsh and horrible people who sometimes beat her just for the hell of it. Because of this, Natasha had learned at a very young age how to be a survivor. When she first came into this new home, she was very cautious and flinched sometimes when her new parents came too close or tried to touch her. Despite being a little kid, she had been able to perfect an expressionless mask. At her old home, if she cried out in pain, they would beat her more. If she got angry and tried to retaliate, they would beat her more. Because of this she had to learn to endure the pain and keep a neutral face.

Her new parents, Phil Coulson and Melinda May, were very patient and understanding of this situation. Melinda, an ex-CIA agent was actually the one to find Natasha. May was tipped some information that a couple in Russia was selling high-tech weapons to U.S. enemies and were considered a serious threat as they had stolen the weapons from a U.S. shipment. When May went in to take care of the threat, she had found Natasha. She had taken the little girl with her and when the government had planned to send her to an orphanage after acquiring all the information that Natasha had, May had said that she would take her.

It wasn't hard for May to convince her husband, Phil, into taking the little girl under their wing. He was a bit hesitant but understood how much it meant to May to make sure that this girl was in a safe environment and what better home for her than theirs. May was already retiring from the agency seeing as that mission was her last, and that was the deciding factor for Phil. He knew that May would be a good mother and without a job where she had to constantly lie and leave often, she would be a great mother. She would be the mother that this girl needs.

With the support of these two people, Natasha began to slowly recover. The little girl became attached to her mother and in her father's arms she felt safe. It was a long and hard journey for them all, but they were able to make it together as a family.

Now here she was. Despite the horrors that plagued her throughout her childhood, she turned out alright. She did get flashbacks or had an episode here and there, but they didn't control her life. Here she was, a twenty-year-old lady going to college with two loving parents. She turned into a strong, independent woman with a slightly pessimistic view on the world who also knew to treasure the good moments when they did come along.

She was currently relaxing on the living room couch, surfing through the channels, in hopes that she would pass by something that would capture her interest. She still hadn't found something to watch when the doorbell rang. Annoyed that she had to get up from her very comfortable spot, she gave a huff and went to the door. When she opened the door, she was met with the back of a tall, blonde man.

Natasha smirked when she recognized who it was considering that she had known him almost her whole life. "If you're here to try and sell me something, I'm going to have to ask you to get off my property."

The man turned around, slightly surprised that he hadn't heard the door open. He turned to see Natasha with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. "Nice to see you too, Romanoff."

In one second, Natasha's smirk turned into a small smile. "It's good to see you, Rogers." She stepped forward to wrap her arms around Steve Rogers, her old next-door neighbor and one of her best friends. Not to mention her first crush.

Steve Rogers was two years older than Natasha. He had grown up in Brooklyn and later moved to DC when he was only eight years old. The Rogers' family had moved into the house next to her only a few months after she moved in herself. When they had first met, there was an almost instant connection.

Before Steve had arrived, Natasha was almost mute. She nodded her head, shook her head, and made other gestures to indicate what she meant. She rarely ever spoke, and when she did it was a whisper so quiet that one had to be standing right next to her to hear it. The first person to draw out any real words out of her was Steve Rogers.

 _"Come on Natasha. Let's go say hi to our new neighbors." Phil had said to her as he grabbed her hand in his and led her down the steps of their house. Little Natasha, just nodded her head and followed his lead with her adopted mother behind her. They walked up to the door and Phil lifted her up so that she could ring the doorbell. Not too long after, the door opened with a boy only a few years older than Natasha poking his head out. "Hello. Are your parents home?"_

 _"Mom!" The young boy called. He could not have been more than ten._

 _"Steve, what is it?" A lady came from behind the boy, looking exhausted from moving their things into the house._

 _"These people are asking for you." Steve said pointing to the family in front of him._

 _"Hi. I'm Phil." He introduced himself, waving to the the woman and the little boy. "This is wife, Melinda. And this is Natasha. We just wanted to come and meet our new neighbors."_

 _"Hello, I'm Sarah. Sarah Rogers." The woman smiled and then gestured to her son. "And this is my son, Steve. It's nice to meet you."_

 _Natasha remained behind Phil's leg as the adults continued to talk. From where she was standing, she looked up to the boy in front of her to find him staring at her. She stared back, not knowing what else to do. She continued to stare Steve down until she heard her name and Steve's come up in the adult's conversation. She looked up from the staring contest to see her parents looking down at her._

 _"Steve why don't you show Natasha around, while Mr. Coulson and Mrs. May help me move things into the house?" His mother recommended._

 _"Okay." Steve held out his hand for Natasha to take._

 _She stared at his outstretched hand for a bit before looking up to her parents. Phil and Melinda nodded their head, so Natasha took it allowing Steve to give her a tour._

 _"This is the living room. This is the kitchen and that's the dining room. We have a game room here and my mom's office right here." He led her around the house and she never spoke a word. Steve then took her upstairs to show her his room. "And this is my room." He let her sit on his bed and pulled an unpacked box over so that he could sit in front of her. "You don't talk much do you?"_

 _Natasha shook her head._

 _"Why not?"_

 _She just shrugged._

 _"It's okay. I don't like to talk sometimes either."_

 _She didn't say anything to that._

 _"You're name is Natasha right?"_

 _She nodded._

 _"Well Natasha, even though you don't talk, I like you. I don't know anyone here and I miss my friends. Will you be my friend?"_

 _She looked up a bit surprised that this boy she hardly knew wanted to be her friend. After the shock wore off, she nodded her head._

 _"Cool. My old friends used to say that girls were weird, but I don't think you're weird. I think you're pretty cool. How old are you?"_

 _Natasha held up six fingers._

 _"You're six? I'm eight. I don't care though, we'll be best friends. And because we're best friends, I'll be there for you. I'm going to protect you from all the mean people because I don't like bullies."_

 _"Promise?" She's not sure what made her ask that. It just came out. She wasn't sure what it was but around Steve she felt like things would be okay. Somehow even though she just met him, she felt safe._

 _"Promise." He moved from his box to sit next to her. From there they started a small conversation about their likes and dislikes. And thus a beautiful friendship formed._

Natasha stepped out of her best friend's arms and took a good look at him. She began searching whatever exposed skin for any signs of injuries. When she found none, she smacked him in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" He demanded as he began rubbing the spot where she hit him.

"For being gone for so long." She said before hugging him again. "You're not allowed to leave again." Natasha was being half-serious. She knew he had to go back. She just wasn't sure what she would do if he got hurt while in the field. He was her rock. He had broken her out of her shell. He helped her become the woman she was today. She would never admit it out loud, but she didn't have to because he already knew how important he was to her.

"Aww, did you miss me, Nat?" He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her gently. "You're going soft."

"Me, miss you? That's a good one, Steve." She teased him. After this long greeting, she finally pulled him into the house. "Now, come on. We have a lot of catching up to do. Plus, I'm sure my parents are dying to see you again."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! I'm glad that you guys are enjoying this story. Thank you so much for your support! Here is the next chapter where we are still kind of setting the scene for the story. Sorry if it may be a bit boring but it will start picking up soon. Let me know what you guys think. Enjoy!**

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"Mom! Dad!" Natasha called. "We have a visitor!" She practically dragged Steve behind her and into the living room. They sat down on the couch and Natasha continued to flip through the channels while they waited.

Not a minute later, Phil and Melinda came out from the kitchen. "Who?" They asked at the same time.

When her parents reached them, Steve stood up and faced them. "Hi."

"Steve! What a surprise. It's good to see you." Phil said as he took Steve's hand and shook it before hugging him. Steve then went and hugged Melinda.

"It's good to see you, too, sir. How are you two doing?"

"We are doing okay. When did you come in?"

"I got back this morning. I just came from Sam's house. I thought I would wait for this one to finally get out of school." Steve placed one arm around Natasha, who decided to join them, and used the other to ruffle her hair a little. This, of course, earned him a punch in the arm. "Besides, I really missed you guys and wanted to stop by and say hi."

"Well we are happy that you had time to stop by, Steve. Would you like to stay for dinner?" Melinda asked.

"Are you cooking?" Steve questioned, grimacing.

"Boy, you are lucky, I like you." She pointed a finger at him while scrunching her face up a little. "Otherwise your ass would have been out on the street right now."

"Duly noted, ma'am."

"Don't worry, Steve. I'm making dinner." Phil interjected. "Does this mean you'll stay?"

"If you guys don't mind, I'd love to stay for dinner. It's been quite a while since I last had a nice home-cooked meal." Steve smiled sadly.

"Good. Dinner will be ready in about five minutes then." Phil announced before walking into the kitchen with Melinda following behind.

"Could you and Natasha help set the table?" Melinda called from the kitchen.

Natasha groaned and looked to Steve. "Do we have to?"

"Come on, Nat." He said as he pulled her with them to gather plates and utensils.

In about ten minutes, the table was set, the food was done and set on the table, and everyone had taken a seat ready to dig in. Phil was at the head of the table with Melinda seated to his right and Nat to his left. Steve sat at the other end of the small table.

"This looks really good, sir." Steve commented as he took a look at his plate full of mashed potatoes, caramelized onions and mushrooms, bit of salad, and a large T-bone steak. He went straight for the steak and cut a piece before putting it in his mouth. "Tastes even better than it looks."

"Thank you, Steve. I'm glad you like it. I'm also glad you decided to stay for dinner. It's nice to have another man in the house. Sometimes, the girls just love to team up on me."

"Yeah, well all Dad wants to talk about is Captain America. He is so obsessed."

"I am not obsessed. I am a dedicated fan."

"Phil, you're obsessed." Melinda deadpanned.

"See. This is what I'm talking about. They're teaming up on me. Help me out here."

"I don't know, sir. Last time I came over you talked about Captain America for about an hour and then you had me watch both movies with you as you gave me detailed commentaries of what was happening."

"You're supposed to be on my side here, Steve."

"Sorry." Steve shrugged as Melinda and Natasha tried to keep from laughing. Being the man he was, Steve decided to help Phil from feeling the tiniest bit embarrassed. "So, sir, how is work going?"

"First, no more sir. Come on, Steve. We've known each other for so long. You were like the son I never had. I watched you grow from the little boy from Brooklyn into the man you are now."

"Sorry, sir, just a habit." Steve explained.

"It's okay. We'll work on it. Anyways, work is tough. Crime never stops but we're doing our best down at the station to keep it at a minimum. I'm just happy to be a part of something where I can help keep people safe. It's nothing compared to what you do, though."

"Don't think of it like that. Your job is just as important as mine. I protect the country from outside threats. You make sure that people feel safe in their own homes. The police force is important in its own way." Steve reminded Phil.

"That's true. I never really thought of it like that. But, still, being a Navy SEAL is a category of its own when it comes down to it. The training they put you through, the missions you must go on. Are those as tough as people think they are?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but I'd rather not talk about my missions."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Steve, I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories or anything."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Steve began staring down at his plate and picking at his food. The other three looked a bit concerned but knew better than to ask Steve more on the subject.

"So, Steve." Natasha began. "How long are you here for?"

"I'm here for a few weeks before they deploy me."

"That's great. It must be nice to have some time off. If you don't mind me asking, where are you staying?" Melinda asked.

It happened just after his high school graduation. Sarah Rogers had passed away from breast cancer. Steve had been completely devastated since it was him and his mom for so long. She was the last of his family and when she passed, it almost felt like he was alone. Fortunately for him, he had his friends and most importantly he had Phil, Melinda, and Natasha. The three of them made sure that he was taking care of himself properly after his mother passed. Steve tried to put a brave face for everyone to see, but they could always tell that he was only pretending.

Even though Steve was a now an adult, Melinda and Phil treated his as their own as they comforted him and cared for him like any parent would when their child was in a bad state. Steve felt loved and appreciated them for everything they did for him. Phil and Melinda may have acted like parents to him, but in no way did he ever feel like they were trying to take place of his deceased parents. It was like they were the second set of parents that were always by his side that were proud to watch him grow into an amazing young man.

Natasha was a different story. There are times after his mother's death that Steve felt that God had sent down an angel to watch over him and that angel had taken the form of his best friend. People always asked if he was okay or how he was doing, but Natasha didn't ever ask that. Instead, when other people asked, she was by his side and held his hand to remind him that she was there for him. When they were alone, she never pushed him to talk. They would sit and she would hold him as he cried. She would rub his back and tell him that it was okay for him to cry and hurt because it meant that he loved his mother.

On the day of Sarah's funeral, Steve was a mess. At times he looked like a little kid who didn't know what to do. Natasha never left his side and that is what helped get Steve through the day. Steve felt numb as people offered their condolences, but as soon as everyone was gone, he broke down. That night, Natasha didn't say one word to him. She let him cry in her arms. She held him and wiped the tears away and ran her fingers through his hair. She did whatever he needed without being asked until he finally cried himself to sleep that night.

Steve thanked her and her parents profusely for taking care of him in those weeks following the funeral. Natasha took care of Steve and he was so grateful for a friend like her. He would admit to himself only that there were times that he was able to imagine Natasha as something more. No one knew and know one would know.

He ended up putting the house up for sale and allowed Melinda and Phil to take care of everything when he left for Navy SEAL training. Whenever he was on leave he stayed at Sam's house. Sam Wilson was one of his closest friends and rarely seemed to mind considering that he lived alone and enjoyed the company.

All of these memories passed through Steve's mind before he reverted back to the question at hand. "I was planning on staying at Sam's place, but he has some family visiting and crashing at his place for a few days. I'll probably get a room at a hotel or something until his house opens up."

"You don't have to do that. You could stay here with us." Phil offered.

"I couldn't do that. I wouldn't want to intrude."

"That's crazy, Steve. Like I said, you are practically the son I never had."

"Phil's right, Steve. You're part of this family. We have a guest bedroom upstairs that you could take."

"Really, you guys don't have to do that."

"But we want to." Melinda reached over and placed her hand on Steve's. "There's no reason for you to spend money on a hotel room when we have a perfectly good one here waiting for you."

The look on Natasha's face is what did him in. She was smiling and her eyes her so bright with the prospect of being able to spend more time with him if he was living with them. "Fine, but I have one condition. You never treat me like a guest and allow me to pull my own weight around here."

"Of course. What did you think, we were going to let you stay here for free?" Phil joked.

It did get a laugh from Steve. "It's settled then." He turned to Natasha. "Guess you're stuck with me for the next few weeks."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Guess so."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! I know that it has been a long while but I've just had a lot of things going on. I don't know how often I will be updating or when I will have time to. For all I know, updates may be as sporadic as this one. I'm sorry in advance but like I said, there is just so much going on right now. For those of you still reading, thank you so much for your patience and support! You guys are amazing! Anyways I was able to bust out this chapter and hope you guys do enjoy it.**

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The next day, Natasha had come home from classes with another one of her best friends, Clint Barton, in tow. The two walked into the kitchen and began preparing a sandwich for themselves as they continued to talk about Clint's latest fight with his girlfriend, Bobbi Morse.

"I mean it was crazy. She was all mad and yelling at me like a madmen because she saw me talking to Laura. She was blowing it completely out of proportion." Clint explained.

"You can't blame her though." Natasha stated, defending her other best friend. "Laura has not been subtle about how much she likes you and you don't do anything about it."

"Why can't Bobbi understand that we are just friends? I don't like Laura like that. Bobbi should be more trusting of me considering that we have been together for almost three years now." Clint ranted as he finished making his sandwich and followed Natasha into the living room where she turned on _Friends_ to provide some background noise.

"How much more trusting?"

"I don't know. Like she shouldn't be jealous when I talk to a girl that I'm not even romantically interested in."

"Oh, like how you don't get jealous when she hangs out with Lance Hunter." Nat sarcastically replies.

"Hey! That's different. I don't trust that guy. He's-"

Clint was cut off by the front door opening and Steve walking in.

"Steve! You're back!" Clint exclaimed as he jumped from his seat so that he could give Steve a hug.

"That I am." Steve chuckled. "How have you been? It's been a while."

Steve took a seat on the couch next to Natasha while Clint went back to his seat in the armchair. As Clint began to inform Steve of all the things that he had missed out on while serving, Steve reached over and grabbed the sandwich out of Natasha's hand and took a bite.

"Wow, man. That all sounds great. What about you and Bobbi? Still together?" This earned him a groan as Clint fell back into his chair. "What? Did I say something wrong?" He asked, directing his question to Natasha.

"No." She answered. She reached over to grab her sandwich back and take a bite before continuing. "He and Bobbi are fighting because he is being a hypocritical ass."

At that statement, Clint shot straight up. "I am not a hypocritical 's just something about Hunter I don't like."

"Yeah the fact that he likes Bobbi." Natasha deadpanned.

"Who's Hunter?" Steve asked as he stole Natasha's sandwich again.

"Lance Hunter is a guy who likes Bobbi, who she repeatedly rejects." Natasha emphasized the last part while throwing a glaring at Clint. She then plucked her sandwich from Steve after he had taken a large bite.

"He doesn't just like Bobbi; he is like infatuated with her! He won't quit asking her out no matter how many times she says no. It's irritating. He always has to be super close and he always has to hug her for way too long and he is always smirking at me, knowing that if I complain about it, then Bobbi would get mad. I hate him."

"So you're jealous." Steve stated rather than questioned. He then snatched the sandwich back and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Steve! That was my sandwich!" Natasha whined as she slapped his arm repeatedly.

"And it was a very good sandwich. Thank you for sharing." Steve managed after he had swallowed.

Natasha was not amused and had crossed her arms across her chest while outright glaring at Steve. Clint on the other hand was sitting in his seat laughing.

"You are in some trouble there, Rogers."

"Awww, don't be mad, Nat." Steve said as he draped his arm over her shoulder.

"Get away from me. I hate you." She responded as she pushed his arm away.

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't." Steve continued as he wrapped Natasha in a tight hug.

"Yes, I do. Now let go of me, Rogers."

"I'm not going to let go of you until you say that you don't hate me."

For a little while Natasha said nothing. Steve resorted to drastic measures and began squeezing her tighter while placing kisses to her cheek. Natasha flushed a little at all of this but kept her ground. Unfortunately it wasn't for much longer.

"Okay, okay. I don't hate you. Now let me go." She demanded.

Steve finally let her go with one more kiss to her cheek.

"Aww. You guys would make such a cute couple if you got together." Clint cooed, reminding the two of his presence. They both blushed bright red. Natasha was quick to change the subject though.

"Well I would say you and Bobbi make a cute couple but you're fighting with her for a stupid reason."

"Laura and I are just friends. I don't get what the big deal is." Clint threw his hands into the air, exasperated.

"The big deal is that you don't do anything to stop her advances. You never outright reject her which makes her believe that she has a chance. Hence the reason that she keeps trying to flirt with you. It's almost as if you like the attention she gives you and you make poor Bobbi watch this girl with her hands all over you while you say absolutely nothing."

"Come on. Steve, you understand that I'm doing nothing wrong and Bobbi can't be mad right?" Clint asked, hoping to get someone to see where he was coming from.

"I don't know, Clint. I mean from what I understand, Bobbi is stopping Hunter's advances. Yeah it may not be ideal for him to be all over Bobbi, but at least you know that Bobbi has rejected him. You on the other hand haven't exactly said no to Laura, so Bobbi is probably thinking that you may have feelings for her no matter how small." Steve reasoned.

Barton deflated in his seat, knowing that no one was going to support him, but he was beginning to see where Nat and Steve were going with this.

"So I am a hypocritical ass."

"You are." Steve and Nat agreed at the same time.

"Guess I've got some apologizing to do. I'm going to head over to Bobbi's house now. I'll see you guys later." And with that Clint let himself out.

"Are they going to be okay?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. They may fight all the time but it always work out in the end. They really do make a great couple. Clint just finds a way to screw up a lot and it leads to them fighting."

Steve nodded his head at this. "What about you? Someone special that I should know about."

"Not really." In her mind, she knew that she should tell him about her feelings for him, but she was too much of a coward to.

"Well don't worry, Nat. One day, some guy is going to make you really happy and he will be the luckiest man on Earth." Steve declared as he sent a smile in Natasha's direction.


End file.
